Retractable supporting gear



g- 8, 1933- J- F. MACOUREK RETRACTABLE SUPPQRTING GEAR Filed April 11 Patented Aug. 8, 1933 I it 1,921,420

V prrs ss PATT: OFFICE i 1,921,420 I RETRACTABLE SUPPORTING GEAR Jerry F. Macourek, Cicero, 111., assign'or to 0. D;

Jennings & Company, Chicago, 111., a Corporation of Illinois Application April 11, 1931. Serial No. 529,420

1,,Claim. (01. 280-43) This invention relates to retractable supportfrom retracted position into operative position mg gear and more particularly to a receding supand back to retracted position. port adapted to be utilized in connection with Referring to the drawing and more particular- I I articles that are moved about a floor or similar 1y to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the illustrated supporting surface from one position to another. scale comprises a base 1, with a platform 2 thereto 1138 type of supporting gear is particularly on, and a standard 3 projecting upwardly from use on certain cabinets, show cases, scales or one end thereof. The standard terminates at the like Where it is desirable that they not only its upward end in the usual dial face 4.

' be portable but be rigid when in position ready The base, which is an inverted hollow rectan- I 1 for use. In connection with scales, for eXamgular shell, is provided at each corner with a lug 65 ple, it has been the practice, heretofore, to sup- 6 which is threaded to receive a cap screw 7. P Scales of h platform W9 p rollers 111 The screws 7 project slightly below the base and de a y ay be c v m n y m ve from engage the supporting surface such as the floor,

place p T1118 manner'of pnq s the to rigidly support the scale in position. These Scale, W 1101? provide a mount cap screws constitute adjustable posts or legs for 0 for the seal;1 whent tlis in use. The same applies t Scale, 0 many 0 er 1C In order that the scale may be portable a air It is the purp se of th iS I Y P thereforeof rollers 8 are provided carried by a comr non .20 P i a EDP W Q W111 rigidly su shaft Q'and spaced thereonlby a ferrule 10. The e? 12 when m W and yet Winch ends of the shaft are journaled in a pair of spaced 33 perml ye z f g artlcle to be movedbearing brackets 11 preferably secured to the in- In gi ir g? th b f terior of base 1 adjacent each side thereof. Each the article a z 3 Ion g a f of the brackets 11 is provided with a substantially a sufiicient m j g iggi z f gg pi i L-shaped slot 12 to receive the ends of the shaft. One arm of the L-shaped slot is substantially stlppolitmg the when m use t combma" vertical'whereas the other arm is substantially tion with rollers which. are movable into retracthorizontal the Outer end of the latter arm being ed position when the article supported is in'use 1 7 and into operative position so that the supported PE K E F- K notch g i gives article may be rolled thereon when it is desired 2 32; 3 .5; a m 1S a 61:1 as 881185 fi gisgg form of this invenfibn the From the foregoing description it will be seen rollers are movable into or from either retracted 1 i a ift 9 ai g grew} or p iv position y gravity upon tilting the 3 fg t P 3 3 i base of the supported article, thus eliminating P1P f t 5 e a l 90 the necessity for any operating mechanism for Opera lveiposl {on m e Onzon e i moving the rollers manner of moving the rollers 8 from inoperative Other novel features and their resultant adposmqn to 1 posltlonfland i to 1.11-

. vantages will be apparent as a description of this operatlve posltlon W be explimed .Wlth part-10' 40 invention proceeds in connection with drawing, 5 reference to 5 mcltlswe' Assum in which for purposes of illustration a scale is the 50516 to m posltlon wlt h the rollers shown equipped with a Supporting gear embody 1n inoperative pos1t1on as shown in Fig. 5, the base ing this invention and in which; 7 I being firmly placed upon its supporting surface Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a conventional and that it is desired to move 17119563116. the base platform scale embodying t feature f t is tilted to the left upon one pair of feet '7 as invention; illustrated in Fig. 6. Rollers 8 and shaft 9 will drop to the bottom of the vertical arm of slot Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of the base portion of the scale show- 12 and fall into the horizontal The base ing the rollers in retracted position; is then returned to horizontal position and shaft Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the rollersin 9 will slide into notch 13 as shown in Fig. '7. The operative position; rollers will thensupport the base upon the sup- Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken porting surface with one end of the base raised on line 44 of Fig. 2; and from the supporting surface. 7 In this position I Figs. 5 to 9, inclusive, are diagrammatic views a scale can readily be moved to any desirable loa illustrating the operation of the movable rollers cation. After the scale has been pl in its 10 iii retracted position, as shown in Fig. 9.

From the foregoing description it willbe apparent that there has been provided means for rigidly supporting an article, such as'the' scale shown for purposes of illustration, when in useand yet which will permit ready movement of the base whenever it is desiredt'o-move the ar ticle from one position toanother.v The mech anism by which this is accomplished is-ext'remely simple, requires no operating mechanism, and is substantially trouble-proof.

It is obvious that any article desired maybe supported as disclosed and that manychanges" may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined *intheclaim.

Iclaimr In a structure having a rigid supporting base adapted to rest on a floor, means rendered operable by tilting the base one way to provide a rolling support therefor and adapted. to be rendered inoperative by tilting the base the opposite way, said means comprising, in combination with spaced vertically disposed rigid parts of said base having parallel L-shaped slots arranged to provide vertically extending branches and lower horizontally extending branches, roller means having axle means mounted in said slots, said roller means being of such diameter as to be efiectual'to support the base only when the axle means engage in the horizontally extending branches of: saidsl'ots, wherefore by tilting the base one way theroller means can be caused to' drop by. gravityv into operative position and by tilting the base the opposite way the roller means can-be caused to move by gravity to inoperative position.

JERRY F; MACOUREK. 

